An Easter Boat Maintenance Update
Apr. 2nd, 2026 12:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soemandThis spring has been a test of patience. Between the lingering cold, the rain, and those occasional uninvited snow flurries, the usual outdoor maintenance schedule has hit a bit of a standstill.
For those of us waiting to get the paint and rollers out, the magic number is 10°C. Until the thermometer consistently hits that mark, any exterior work is effectively on hold.
However, with a wet Easter weekend on the forecast, I'm shifting gears. Instead of fighting the elements, I'm heading below deck to tackle some indoor projects. It might not be the "big reveal" progress I was hoping for by April, but it's about moving the needle forward-one interior fix at a time.
Here's to hoping the sun (and the double digits) finally makes an appearance soon!
For those of us waiting to get the paint and rollers out, the magic number is 10°C. Until the thermometer consistently hits that mark, any exterior work is effectively on hold.
However, with a wet Easter weekend on the forecast, I'm shifting gears. Instead of fighting the elements, I'm heading below deck to tackle some indoor projects. It might not be the "big reveal" progress I was hoping for by April, but it's about moving the needle forward-one interior fix at a time.
Here's to hoping the sun (and the double digits) finally makes an appearance soon!
Thursday 02/04/2026
Apr. 2nd, 2026 03:55 pmlhune posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
3_good_things_a_day1) Tea and a good book
2) Got out some Easter decoration
3) A little bit of painting, I’m trying out some new watercolours
2) Got out some Easter decoration
3) A little bit of painting, I’m trying out some new watercolours
Italian football in crisis as FA chief resigns and Ceferin issues Euro 2032 warning
Apr. 2nd, 2026 02:48 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
guardian_italy_feedExit could spell end of Gennaro Gattuso’s tenure
Ceferin: ‘Infrastructure is among the worst in Europe’
The crisis engulfing Italian football has deepened with the country’s football federation president, Gabriele Gravina, resigning and the Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, warning that it risks losing its co-hosting rights for Euro 2032.
Gravina announced his resignation at an emergency meeting of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) general council two days after Italy failed to reach a World Cup finals for the third successive time, losing on penalties to the outsiders Bosnia and Herzegovina. He had come under heavy scrutiny since their exit in Zenica, the country’s minister for sport, Andrea Abodi, intensifying the pressure by calling for “a renewal of the FIGC leadership”.
Continue reading...Malafrena/The Complete Orsinia by Ursula K. Le Guin (1979/2016)
Apr. 2nd, 2026 08:27 ampauraqueThe alt-history novel Malafrena, set in Le Guin's fictional Central European country Orsinia in the years leading up to a revolution, was only available from my library as part of The Complete Orsinia. This omnibus edition includes a new introduction from the author, as well as all eleven stories comprising Orsinian Tales and two other stories which were anthologized in her 1996 collection Unlocking the Air, and three short poems, two of which were previously unpublished. So if you love Orsinia, this edition seems to be the definitive way to experience it!
Unfortunately I don't love Orsinia, and I didn't love Malafrena either, though I didn't dislike it as much as I disliked Orsinian Tales.
The novel centers on Itale Sorde, a young political activist from the provinces who moves to the capital city and starts a newsletter that is critical of Austrian rule and promotes the restoration of an independent Orsinian monarchy. The narrative is somewhat sprawling, also keeping up with some of the people Itale left behind at home, as well as following various of his friends and associates even when their paths diverge from his.
The things I liked about it were the vivid descriptions of physical setting and what it is like for the characters to be present as events are unfolding. I've never been in a violent political insurrection, and I do not think Le Guin ever was either, but I felt very convinced by the living, breathing details of how she wrote the one towards the end of this book. The confusion, the waiting, the hiding, the pushing and knocking down, the uncertainty about who is where, who's in charge, and if anyone is winning—it feels real. (The realistic, non-idealized depiction of a battle was also one of the things that stuck with me from Planet of Exile.)
( The things I didn't like were many of the same things I didn't like about Orsinian Tales. [cut for length and negativity] )
Unfortunately I don't love Orsinia, and I didn't love Malafrena either, though I didn't dislike it as much as I disliked Orsinian Tales.
The novel centers on Itale Sorde, a young political activist from the provinces who moves to the capital city and starts a newsletter that is critical of Austrian rule and promotes the restoration of an independent Orsinian monarchy. The narrative is somewhat sprawling, also keeping up with some of the people Itale left behind at home, as well as following various of his friends and associates even when their paths diverge from his.
The things I liked about it were the vivid descriptions of physical setting and what it is like for the characters to be present as events are unfolding. I've never been in a violent political insurrection, and I do not think Le Guin ever was either, but I felt very convinced by the living, breathing details of how she wrote the one towards the end of this book. The confusion, the waiting, the hiding, the pushing and knocking down, the uncertainty about who is where, who's in charge, and if anyone is winning—it feels real. (The realistic, non-idealized depiction of a battle was also one of the things that stuck with me from Planet of Exile.)
( The things I didn't like were many of the same things I didn't like about Orsinian Tales. [cut for length and negativity] )
The Path through the Woods
Apr. 2nd, 2026 01:31 pmpuddleshark
The woods in early April. Full of sunlight and birdsong: the pensive silvery songs of robins, the repetitive two-tone squeak of coal-tits, chiffchaffs singing their own name, and nuthatches whistling like football referees. Overhead, the trees still bare except for ivy, but new bright leaves appearing on the hazel and the honeysuckle understorey. In glades and along the paths, wherever the sun spills down, the woodland flowers: primroses, violets, celandines, wood anemones, and even the first few bluebells.
( Read more... )
Book completed
Apr. 1st, 2026 11:58 pmeve_primeMagic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way, by Jonah Berger. In this very interesting book, Berger organizes the results of numerous studies by his own team and others to show ways that we can use language more effectively. Often they’re analyzing oodles of data from online sources – like restaurant reviews, from which they learned (for example) that saying “the food was great” is less likely to prompt a visit then saying “the food is great.” Using “was” suggests it could occasionally be good and that’s when the reviewer happened to be there, whereas “is” conveys a more stable, ongoing quality.
Some of the conclusions seem a little too facile, like telling us that in telling a story, we need to start slowly to set the stage, before the action starts. He’s ignoring the fun of joining a story in the middle of a big problem, where we learn what’s going on as we follow our characters dealing with a crisis – only when the crisis is resolved do we start learning more about the bigger picture. His discussions of racism and fixed/growth mindset feel tacked on, too. Nevertheless, it’s all worth reading and very reader-friendly.
Some of the conclusions seem a little too facile, like telling us that in telling a story, we need to start slowly to set the stage, before the action starts. He’s ignoring the fun of joining a story in the middle of a big problem, where we learn what’s going on as we follow our characters dealing with a crisis – only when the crisis is resolved do we start learning more about the bigger picture. His discussions of racism and fixed/growth mindset feel tacked on, too. Nevertheless, it’s all worth reading and very reader-friendly.
Space language
Apr. 2nd, 2026 10:35 amcosmolinguistMy crash nap yesterday after work meant I was still awake when the Artemis 2 launch window opened. I'd gone to bed but hadn't been able to sleep so figured I'd come back downstairs to watch it with D, but he came up with his laptop so we could watch it in bed on a biggish screen. Which worked out great: it was very fun to watch it snuggled up together.
My Apollo-era space nerdery and his experience with Kerbal Space Program mesh into an excited understanding of, at a generous estimate, half of what is being said on the broadcast. I imagined clutching a phrasebook as we toddle around the land of spaceflight, garishly dressed tourists trying to look in every direction at once in both excitement and confusion. ("PRM" is an acronym I'm used to hearing at work every so often, but in my line of work it doesn't mean perigee raise maneuver!)
An online pal said "I am clearly not the only one looking up 'perigee' on Merriam-Webster's website lol" and shared a screenshot of a list I immediately fell in love with: that dictionary's current top lookups were
- Artemis
- apogee
- perigee
- Godspeed
- nominal
- how
- verklempt
It just gets better the more you read -- even the random how in there is somehow part of what makes it so delightful.
Artemis II
Apr. 2nd, 2026 08:35 amrmc28I stayed up way too late to watch the launch, and then stayed watching the live coverage for some time afterwards (some of this time with Tony and Charles animatedly chatting about space exploration until I threw them out so I could try to sleep).
There are PEOPLE on their way to the MOON for the first time in my lifetime. (Last crewed mission was Apollo 17 in December 1972.) And I can watch the live stream of the mission whenever I want, which is pretty amazing.
As I go through the next ten days (work, gym, movie date, hockey, maybe watch the boat races, hockey, work, gym, etc) a little bit of me is going to be thinking there are people going around the Moon, and probably running that live stream whenever I reasonably can.
(There has already been way more discussion of the toilet than one might expect; I am remembering the iconic loo-fixing scene in Mary Robinette Kowal's The Fated Sky, and maybe rereading those books is a good shout at this point in time.)
Resident Evil Requiem [2026]
Apr. 2nd, 2026 12:26 ammyrmidon posting in fandom_icons[ leon s. kennedy ]
[ here @
axisandallies ]Slow the Scroll
Apr. 1st, 2026 06:20 pmcyberneticdryadI'm easing into it today, but I decided to firm up my overall goal to have less mindless screen time. I found a work around for ScreenZen to kind of make it work on Firefox, and I'm planning on logging out of my worst offender accounts (tumblr, pinterest) to add an extra step to engaging with them. My brain hates extra steps (even just... having to open a water bottle versus drinking from a straw), so I think it'll help.
My goal this month is to reduce my daily screen time on my offender apps and to be more mindful about why I'm wanting to engage which is usually because I want input or because I want to hunt or ponder. Input is easy to replace because I know more options for that off hand. It's just replace scrolling with reading or sudoku or easy fiber arts. The hunting/pondering is harder. Sometimes I scroll pinterest for the same reason I thrift—I'm looking for ideas and options and possibilities—and I'll need to do some brainstorming for alternatives. Maybe that in itself is the alternative to start.
For an April Fools, things were pretty low key. Tumblr's snek was fun to play a bit of, and Chicken Smoothie briefly turning into Rat Shake and all of the monthly pets starting as rats was fun. I mostly ran errands and tried to get caught up on housework after a lazy birthday weekend and with oncoming body things. I actually called off some of our weekend plans because I started feeling fatigued, but I'm pleased we still got to go to the Daffodil Festival (and early tulip fest with how warm the spring has been), and my partner got me some goodies while we were there.
Hopefully this month will be a kind of reset, maybe a good way to kick off a new year of being alive.
My goal this month is to reduce my daily screen time on my offender apps and to be more mindful about why I'm wanting to engage which is usually because I want input or because I want to hunt or ponder. Input is easy to replace because I know more options for that off hand. It's just replace scrolling with reading or sudoku or easy fiber arts. The hunting/pondering is harder. Sometimes I scroll pinterest for the same reason I thrift—I'm looking for ideas and options and possibilities—and I'll need to do some brainstorming for alternatives. Maybe that in itself is the alternative to start.
For an April Fools, things were pretty low key. Tumblr's snek was fun to play a bit of, and Chicken Smoothie briefly turning into Rat Shake and all of the monthly pets starting as rats was fun. I mostly ran errands and tried to get caught up on housework after a lazy birthday weekend and with oncoming body things. I actually called off some of our weekend plans because I started feeling fatigued, but I'm pleased we still got to go to the Daffodil Festival (and early tulip fest with how warm the spring has been), and my partner got me some goodies while we were there.
Hopefully this month will be a kind of reset, maybe a good way to kick off a new year of being alive.
The Pedlar II
Apr. 2nd, 2026 07:18 ampoliphilo Here's the other version of the Pedlar- the one painted on the back of the wings of The Haywain.
There's still a gibbet on the horizon, but the other details are different; there's no tumbledown bordello, instead we have a traveller being robbed by banditti and a couple dancing to the music of a piper, the little dog is fiercer and in the left foreground the bones of what I think is a horse are being picked over by carrion crows.
This is how the world is, says Bosch, and if you want to know more just open the doors and I'll show you.....
There's still a gibbet on the horizon, but the other details are different; there's no tumbledown bordello, instead we have a traveller being robbed by banditti and a couple dancing to the music of a piper, the little dog is fiercer and in the left foreground the bones of what I think is a horse are being picked over by carrion crows.
This is how the world is, says Bosch, and if you want to know more just open the doors and I'll show you.....
52/393: Less Than Expected
Apr. 1st, 2026 04:04 pmrejectomorphIt didn't rain much Wednesday, though it remained overcast all day and the ground remained damp. It was disappointing, but not really a surprise. I slept a lot, and had tasty snacks when I was awake, and finally finished the day with a sandwich, even though the day being cool it would have been a good time to use the oven. I just didn't eel like eating any of those things I had on had to bake or roast. The sandwich was decent though, and nicely washed down with the last can of Sierra Nevada Winterfest. I wish I'd bought another twelve pack of that when it was available. The Springfest they've got now is nowhere neat as good.
The indoor temperature of the apartment is still seventy degrees, so the furnace still hasn't engaged. O expect it will come on later tonight, and run a bit through Thursday, as we don't get back to warm days until Friday. Something sad that is related to that is that there is only a $45 and change climate credit this spring. Last spring it was over a hundred bucks, and I had no utility bill in either April or May, and still had a few bucks credit for June. This year I'll be lucky to get no bill in April, and I might even get one of those annoying bills for like three bucks or something. Drag.
I'm sure there was more, but I've totally forgotten what it was. I'm getting sleepy again, even though I've only been up for about ten hours. Of course the beer I had with dinner isn't helping keep me awake. I'm probably in for another one of those naps that just goes on and on. But then I've got nothing else that needs doing. I was going to fix some strawberries for shortcake, but that can wait. After all, tomorrow is another day... am I getting the vapors? Land sakes, I do declare!
The indoor temperature of the apartment is still seventy degrees, so the furnace still hasn't engaged. O expect it will come on later tonight, and run a bit through Thursday, as we don't get back to warm days until Friday. Something sad that is related to that is that there is only a $45 and change climate credit this spring. Last spring it was over a hundred bucks, and I had no utility bill in either April or May, and still had a few bucks credit for June. This year I'll be lucky to get no bill in April, and I might even get one of those annoying bills for like three bucks or something. Drag.
I'm sure there was more, but I've totally forgotten what it was. I'm getting sleepy again, even though I've only been up for about ten hours. Of course the beer I had with dinner isn't helping keep me awake. I'm probably in for another one of those naps that just goes on and on. But then I've got nothing else that needs doing. I was going to fix some strawberries for shortcake, but that can wait. After all, tomorrow is another day... am I getting the vapors? Land sakes, I do declare!
Goddamn it
Apr. 2nd, 2026 04:24 pmmificI've been protected from HR fandom wank by only being active on DW and tumblr, but it's affecting AO3 as well now. As a megafandom doing a speedrun, I gather Heated Rivalry has attracted a fair number of idiots and trolls, and maybe just new fans ignorant of fandom etiquette, over on crap sites like twitter and instagram. I think hanging out in those places and on facebook can also turn you to the dark side teach you bad habits, maybe. Celestial_abyss who's podficcing OpalApparition's WIP Wolfbird, wrote an etiquette post about it.
So, a few BNF HR writers (OpalApparition being one) have I gather been trolled and harassed in those places (but honestly, why be on instagram or twitter at all!) and have reacted in a hurt/angry way by going on hiatus or, now, with Evilharlowe, a writer I enjoy, by deleting their entire AO3 profile and all works. Crap! I mean, their main WIP was a bit worrying as the projected chapter count kept climbing from 50 to 100 to 200 (they made it to just over 100), which seemed either unrealistic or not great for the writer's wellbeing, but still. They wrote a lot of other excellent stuff but are presumably too pissed off or unhappy to keep posting. The works haven't been made anon or orphaned, either, which feels like an angry reaction. Jesus, all that work, all those excellent fics, just gone from AO3. Fuck.
I have a lot of their fics saved as I usually read longer stuff as ebooks and EH almost never wrote short, but I don't have the latest updates on their two main WIPs. However, if you want a copy of any their completed works, hit me up in a message as I should have most of them, and can convert to any format you like.
But yeah, bummer.
So, a few BNF HR writers (OpalApparition being one) have I gather been trolled and harassed in those places (but honestly, why be on instagram or twitter at all!) and have reacted in a hurt/angry way by going on hiatus or, now, with Evilharlowe, a writer I enjoy, by deleting their entire AO3 profile and all works. Crap! I mean, their main WIP was a bit worrying as the projected chapter count kept climbing from 50 to 100 to 200 (they made it to just over 100), which seemed either unrealistic or not great for the writer's wellbeing, but still. They wrote a lot of other excellent stuff but are presumably too pissed off or unhappy to keep posting. The works haven't been made anon or orphaned, either, which feels like an angry reaction. Jesus, all that work, all those excellent fics, just gone from AO3. Fuck.
I have a lot of their fics saved as I usually read longer stuff as ebooks and EH almost never wrote short, but I don't have the latest updates on their two main WIPs. However, if you want a copy of any their completed works, hit me up in a message as I should have most of them, and can convert to any format you like.
But yeah, bummer.
the importance of being puzzled
Apr. 1st, 2026 08:38 pmradiantfracturePerhaps in celebration of the National Theatre at Home production, The Daily Spell has switched from telling an original fantasy story to encoding quotations from The Importance of Being Earnest.
I wasn't sure about the change, but there is something satisfying in teasing out the familiar lines, and it isn't any more difficult, if you are familiar with Wilde's cadences or his epigrams.
§rf§
I wasn't sure about the change, but there is something satisfying in teasing out the familiar lines, and it isn't any more difficult, if you are familiar with Wilde's cadences or his epigrams.
§rf§